Traditional cloud service providers may provide a cloud service to a user, such as an enterprise, for storing data on computer resources hosted by the cloud service provider. In this way, a company's data is stored by and accessible from multiple distributed and connected resources that comprise a cloud. Cloud storage can provide the benefits of: greater accessibility and reliability; rapid deployment; strong protection for data backup, archival, and disaster recovery purposes; and lower overall storage costs as a result of not having to purchase, manage, and maintain expensive hardware.
There are three traditional types of cloud storage systems. The first type of cloud storage system may be referred to as public cloud storage. In public cloud storage, an enterprise and a storage service provider are separate entities. The computational resources used to store data are managed by the storage service provider and are not part of the enterprise's data center. Thus, the cloud storage provider fully manages the computational resources used to manage the enterprise's data stored within the cloud storage system.
The second type of cloud storage system may be referred to as private cloud storage. In private cloud storage, the enterprise and cloud storage provider are integrated within the enterprise's data center. This may mean that the storage provider has infrastructure within the enterprise's data center. Private cloud storage helps resolve the potential for security and performance concerns while still offering the advantages of cloud storage.
The third type of cloud storage system may be referred to as hybrid cloud storage. In hybrid cloud storage, some critical data resides in the enterprise's private cloud while other data is stored and accessible from a public cloud storage provider. Thus, hybrid cloud storage systems may be some combination of public and private cloud storage systems.
Currently, enterprises adopting a cloud strategy for their storage systems generally adopt one or more of these three types of cloud storage systems depending on the needs of the enterprise.